Chapter 4.3

---

Vocabulary

---

Gemstone: Hard mineral with usually bright, glassy luster
Ore: Rock containing metal or useful mineral
Smelting: Process separating the useful metal from other elements
Alloy: Two or more metals (solid) mixed

Outline

---

• Useful minerals
  • Gemstones
    • Beautiful and rare
    • Are used for jewelry, also mechanical parts and polishing/grinding
  • Metals
    • Iron, Silver, and Copper are such examples.
    • They are pliable and bendable.
    • Metals can be used for practically anything.
  • Others
    • Talcum, Fluorite, Quartz
    • Great variety of uses
• Ore is usually not pure metal
• Prospecting and mining are needed to obtain minerals
  • Prospectors find ores using tests
    • Examines plants on surface
    • Tests streams for chemicals
    • Explosions underground creates shock waves
  • Mining to gets ores and minerals
    • Can pollute/harm land
    • Strip mining; Raking away soil
    • Open pit mine; Deep, vertical hole in earth
    • Shaft mine; Tunnels through the ground, follows veins like burrows